Any Excuse to be a Cowboy

Where I live, cowboys aren’t in great abundance, which makes me sad. The world needs more cowboys.

As for me, I look for any excuse to be a cowboy, and if I look hard enough I can usually find one. Camping. Fishing. Rodeos. Country music concerts. Trips to the local cowboy boot store…

Any excuse will do, really.

In all honesty, the boots and the hats are fun, but being a cowboy (a real cowboy), even if only for a moment here and there is about much more than the garb. It’s about a simpler life. A life that I often wish I could escape to on a more permanent basis.

Imagine…

A life where I didn’t sit staring at a computer screen all day every day.

A life where I didn’t walk around, constantly paranoid of my iPad getting dropped or damaged.

A life where I have to remember my friends’ phone numbers, and I have to dial the digits in one at a time.

A life where I can leave home and nothing rings. No texts come in. I go home and any messages are scribbled on a piece of paper.

A life where there are few stop signs. Few traffic lights. And nobody waiting to give me a ticket for speeding.

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A life where I don’t ever need to speed.

A life where the weekends are spent at barn dances.

A life where it’s considered overly engaging to talk about corn or potatoes.

A life where riding the mechanical bull at the local bar is a must-do when old friends come into town.

A life where nobody worries about the kids playing outside. All day.

A life where problems are handled over a game of darts instead of in courtrooms.

A life where the Internet still screeches at me when I sign on.

A life where there isn’t much need for the Internet at all.

A life where I can sit on the porch for hours, chattin’ it up with old buddies.

A life where I drive several hours to go to the big country concerts. And almost everyone I know is there.

A life where I don’t have to beg friends to come with me to see Tim McGraw.

A life where I can spend my days atop a horse, looking at my acres and acres of land.

Land that didn’t cost me $200,000 per acre.

Land that cost me $1000 per acre.

The most beautiful land on earth.

Imagine… a life that’s not easier. Just simpler.

And that’s why I look for any excuse to be a cowboy, even if it’s only for the evening.

When I do, I can promise you that I don’t carry a cell phone in my pocket. Cowboy pants are tight for a reason. It’s to keep all the gadgets out…

Dan Pearce, Single Dad Laughing

PS. What life that isn’t your own do you sometimes like to escape to?

And, have you ever heard this Easton Corbin song? It’s one of my favorites and sums up a lot of what I love about the country/cowboy life.

Dan Pearce is an American-born author, app developer, photographer, and artist. This blog, Single Dad Laughing, is what he's most known for, with more than half a million daily subscribers as of 2015. Pearce writes mostly humorous and introspective works, as well as his musings which span from fatherhood, to dating, to life, to the people and dynamics of society. Single Dad Laughing is much more than a blog. It's an incredible community of people just being real and awesome together!

Honestly, the whole idea behind a simpler lifestyle is to make up for how busy things are elsewhere. You don't have internet worries, or phone issues, because you don't have time for things like that. You're too busy taking the horses out, rounding up cattle, fixing fences that winds knocked over, and worrying about where the hay is going to come from once the prices skyrocket. The simple life is nice, yeah, but it's borne of necessity, not desire.

And if your pants are too tight to fit anything in them, you're wearing the wrong pants for a cowboy, haha. Pants that tight wouldn't let you ride all day and be comfortable, which would kinda kill the point of wearing them as a cowboy. ;)

i has lived out in the country my hole lifes n it IS simpler than city life but it sure nuff aint easyer, jest different. a slower pace than the big city (3 of our yung-uns lives in bigger citys a round america) n more in tune with the weather n the seasons.

i married me a cowboy!!! n my man everett spend his hole lifes raisin cattle (especially them texas longhorns) n trainin horses n tannin leather n doing carpentry work. n he was all ways the most kindest n gentlest n down-to-earth man that there could of ever been, especially when it came to him being a real daddy to our five yung-uns. he sure nuff was quite the man . . .http://kountreekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/06/my-dearest-everett.html

i has lived out in the country my hole lifes n it IS simpler than city life but it sure nuff aint easyer, jest different. a slower pace than the big city (3 of our yung-uns lives in bigger citys a round america) n more in tune with the weather n the seasons.

i married me a cowboy!!! n my man everett spend his hole lifes raisin cattle (especially them texas longhorns) n trainin horses n tannin leather n doing carpentry work. n he was all ways the most kindest n gentlest n down-to-earth man that there could of ever been, especially when it came to him being a real daddy to our five yung-uns. he sure nuff was quite the man . . .My recent post my dearest everett

Oh Honey, that is so charming and naive. Real cowboys work their rear end off. They are the last line of defense between everything they own and a wild fire started by lightening. They are up at all hours, in mucus, crap, mud, rain, dust, and biting insects. But thats ok . They wouldn't think of complaining, because it's the nature of the beast. If you have a chance, you should try that cowboy thing out a little longer. I think you would really like it.

i has lived out in the country my hole lifes n it IS simpler than city life but it sure nuff aint easyer, jest different. a slower pace than the big city (3 of our yung-uns lives in bigger citys a round america) n more in tune with the weather n the seasons.

i married me a cowboy!!! n my man everett spend his hole lifes raisin cattle (especially them texas longhorns) n trainin horses n tannin leather n doing carpentry work. n he was all ways the most kindest n gentlest n down-to-earth man that there could of ever been, especially when it came to him being a real daddy to our five yung-uns. he sure nuff was quite the man . . .http://kountreekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/06/my-dearest-everett.html

I lived 10 miles from the nearest gallon of milk. I graduated with 30 people in my class. There was corn south of the house, cows west of the house, horses east and a fishing pond to the north. We didn't live on a farm. The farm lived around us. Looking back, I had a simple life in Missouri. I learned how to bake pies, can and grow a garden.

I watch the Brady Bunch with my kids and boy were things different back then! I sometimes long for a more simple life as well. Perhaps we all need to take a few days off from technology and whatnot and live more simply every now and then.My recent post How Did We Survive?

Ha! I miss the city life SOOO much! I live in the country - 3 hours from a big city, 1 hour from even a walmart. believe you me, we still have cell phones and internet, but riding a horse on your family land with nothing but nature for a sound track is priceless. I love living out here, it is definitely more simple and laid back. It's hilarious to see everyone who comes for the holidays (town days called Prospectors Days, and Ferry County Fair) dressed in brand new top of the line "cowboy garb" I love it!

I often have the same aspirations, I have all my life, except one small sad thing... I've never owned my own Cowboy hat :( I got the boots when I was a kid, (though they don't fit now that i'm all grown up :P ) They where Red! The best Christmas present I ever got :)

My parents live on an old farm, but unfortunately are unable to have animals. They do have a large garden, though. It is beautiful and I love to escape the city to relax once in awhile with my nephew. He loves it out there because he has the freedom to run around the yard without having someone sitting beside him all day.My recent post Homemade Pizza

ah yes, I grew up surrounded by cowboys. My dad, my grandpa, my uncles - all cowboys. Well, they didn't actually herd cows, but they lived the lifestyle: on a ranch in texas, raising horses and mules, listening to country music, chewing tobacco, hunting and fishing, etc. I always used to think I'd someday marry a cowboy. Yet, here I am, on husband number two, a Jewish pediatrician from New Jersey. And husband number one was a professional disc golf player... so, the cowboy never happened. :-) For me, the life I dream about is that of a world traveler, perhaps as a travel writer...

Dan, I grew up in a small town that is just like what you have described and my mom and dad still live about 9 miles north of a small town in the north Texas panhandle just about a 1/2 a mile off of the red river. My dad gets up every morning and goes and checks his cows and checks them again in the evenings. He doesn't do it on horse back as he doesn't have as much land as he use to but there was a time. He sits on his front porch in the evenings and watches the sun go down.

Although I can't say my childhood in a small town was alwasy idyllic, there are definitely parts that I miss, and spending all day outside is one of them. Plus, biking, hiking, and swimming in the local lake were all so easy to do and get to . . . even though I live down a dirt driveway these days, I'm only two miles from a highway, a busy shoppping area, and we are always so busy . . . your post made me nostalgic for the true quiet of the the small town where I grew up.My recent post Acceptance, Revision, WriteOnCon, Kayaking, and Monetizing my Blog?

Dan, I live in that small town...no stop lights, few stop signs, livestock outnumber people 20:1. We have a lot of trucks, a lot of tractors and it isn't uncommon to see someone riding their horse in town on a daily basis. Come late spring, neighbors get together and help each other brand their calves. Most of them still do it with a horse and a rope, the hard way. I am only about 4 hours from you. Anytime you want that experience of the "simpler" life, shoot me an email. You are more than welcome to come out and be a real cowboy. Your help would be welcomed.

You described perfectly the life i often wish i had...and if I could pick any place in the world to live it would be my grandparents old farm in Southern IL...a place where my kids could fish and play outside all day in the country, where we could raise a lot of our own food, and everyone seems to know everyone when you go to town...I also loved how you said that its not an easier life, just simpler. :0)

You know, you just made it so clear how life just gets more and more complex. No wonder you have a cowboy dream! I used to have the deserted island dream where I just float in lukewarm clear oceans. Did it for a while in Mozambique and it wasn't that great!!! So, looking for a new escape-dream...any ideas?My recent post John Lennon says: Love means saying you're sorry every fifteen minutes

Sometimes you can get the best of both worlds...by moving to a small town with a large city only a couple hours drive away. While I was reading, I was thinking of that Billy Chrystal movie, City Slickers...sooo funnyMy recent post Breaking all the “Cool Mom” Rules

Imagine eating food that came from the earth and not from a factory.Imagine not being the weirdo because you didn't catch last night's very special episode of the bachelor.Imagine people not thinking it is weird that you actually play with your kid...OUTSIDE!

I'm really, REALLY glad you pointed out that it's not an easier life, but "simpler". But then again, a lot of times that's not true either. More and more, farmers are becoming totally linked up tech wise as the demand for them to be business men/women exceeds the demand for them to work in the field. I suppose that's not relevant for farm hands...but worth pointing out anyway.

Anyway, as a gal who grew up in the city and now lives with her grew-up-on-a-farm boyfriend in the country, I appreciate so much of what this post said.

I second this, sorry to say but wow are u naive. The true cowboys I know work well before sun up to well after sun down, doing extreme manual labor. They often don't have the luxury to retire, go on vacation, or even to a wedding or other special event far from home, for there is constant work that needs tending too. I do not mean this to sound rude at all but I don't think many of us could handle it, and it sure isn't at all what u escribed

The cowboys you have described above.....well you have a lot of it correct but there are a few things that most real cowboys don't do or have never done......like getting on the internet, or even a computer for that matter. Hell my dad wouldn't even carry a cell phone if it wasn't for my mom. She makes him carry one just in case he needs it for an emergency, he keeps it turned off!! LOL!! He has never been to a music concert of any kind but he does watch HeeHaw on RFD TV if that counts!! I live in a big city in another state and go back home to visit 2-3 times a year. I love it and miss it so much. It is so nice to be able to slow down from 100 miles an hour all the time to a good old country drive for a few days. I think I might like to retire back there one of these days!!! Thanks for your article!!! Others need to know how wonderful the slow paced life can be. BB from the Great Lone Star State of Texas.........Once a Texas Gal Always a Texas Gal!!

I think Dan probably knew that, he was just describing the good parts of a cowboy life. He didn't say it was easier, just simpler. The cowboys I know love the simplicity of their lives. They'll do the hard manual labor and get the short end of the stick sometimes, but they'd rather do that than have to worry about technology and "being connected" to the rest of the world. I think it's a good thing to aspire to - simplicity.

Makes me want to plant a garden in my backyard...My recent post Service and Humility